The study, carried out as part of Germany’s Ministry for the Environment initiative “Strong Consumers for a Good Climate”, awarded First Climate’s services with one “very good” grade and two “good” grades. The goal of the university study was to provide an overview of the market and an in-depth evaluation of service providers for climate protection projects aimed at offsetting greenhouse gas emissions on a voluntary basis. 
 
“The results of the study confirm our conviction that only climate protection projects certified
according to the highest quality standards should be included in our portfolio,” said Dr. Sascha
Lafeld, First Climate management board member. He highlighted the importance of
guaranteeing that stringent standards are maintained and ensuring that the entire carbon
emissions offsetting process is transparent to the customer. According to Lafeld, only in this way
will carbon offsetting become increasingly accepted and its tremendous potential as a tool for
climate protection be unlocked. 
 
The authors of the study likewise stressed the importance customers place on transparency, as
they are dealing with an intangible good and the voluntary market remains largely unregulated. 
Nonetheless, Lafeld pointed out it must be kept in mind that “Emissions offsetting must be part
of a comprehensive sustainability strategy and not just a climate neutral flash in the pan.” This
means that the focus must be on emissions avoidance and reduction from the outset, according
to Lafeld. Only then does the offsetting of unavoidable emissions come into play, he added.
 
The evaluation was based on the following criteria: 1) Realistic emissions calculations, 2)
Stringency and accountability of offsetting and 3) Transparent communication promoting
corporate behavior that fosters climate protection.
 
The study, titled “Treibhausgas-Kompensationsanbieter in Deutschland”, including an overview
of the evaluations of all service providers on page 9, is available online at
www.verbraucherfuersklima.de.

Contact
First Climate
Fritz Wilhelm
Head Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 (0)6101 - 5 56 58 - 34
Fax: +49 (0)6101 - 5 56 58 - 77
E-Mail: fritz.wilhelm@firstclimate.com
 
 
The press release is also available here: